Vancouver, British Columbia — A Vancouver-based law firm has launched a class action lawsuit against Tier 1 airbag inflator developer, ARC Automotive Inc., alleging that the manufacturer has refused to abide by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s request for a recall.
“In 2023, an investigation by the United States’ National Highway Traffic Safety Administration tentatively concluded that airbag inflators designed and manufactured by ARC Automotive, Inc. contain a defective component which has rendered millions of airbags in motor vehicles vulnerable to exploding and propelling shrapnel and debris through the cabin of motor vehicles upon deployment,” reads the opening of the press statement released by Slater Vecchio LLP on Wednesday.
Showing shades of the ever-lingering Takata airbag inflator recall, the firm alleges that ARC “was negligent in its design of the airbag inflators and for its failure to warn Canadians of this defect or the safety risk it presents.
“The action also alleges that the manufacturers of vehicles containing the airbag inflators were negligent in their design of the vehicles and for failure to warn, and have breached the Competition Act, RSC 1985, c C-34 and consumer protection legislation across Canada,” an excerpt from the statement reads.
Prior reporting from the Associated Press shows that ARC’s defective inflators have been linked to two deaths in North America, which, thanks in large part to an NHTSA investigation launched way back in 2015, led BMW to recall more than one million vehicles earlier this month.
The class action is seeking compensation for owners and lessees of numerous models from across eight major OEMs.
Click here to view the full list of vehicles affected by the lawsuit.
